New action group will fight Green Belt development

A NEW action group has been set up to fight develop proposals on Green Belt land in the Burtonwood and Collins Green area of Warrington
Residents turned out in force for the first meeting of the group.
They claim Warrington Borough Council’s Local Plan threatens to destroy much of the “semi-rural” beauty of the Burtonwood area, which is a haven for wildlife and a sanctuary for residents.
Residents’ spokesperson Sue Pownall said the area’s natural beauty would be destroyed by building expensive houses on green lane.
“Most of this housing will be unaffordable to present residents of Burtonwood being priced between £250,000 – £450,000, “ she said.
“ The main focus of the present building proposals is a massive development of 150+ houses on Green Lane with an entry point directly on to a primary school.  Green Lane gets really busy with school traffic anyway and residents are disgusted at the lack of foresight regarding traffic congestion.”
Residents attending the meeting were that most of the green space in Burtonwood and Collins Green is marked as “available” in the Local Plan which meant much more development could take place.
There was also concern over the massive Gorsey Lane development in neighbouring St Helens, which would impact on the village greatly.
It was agreed to work with an action group in St Helens to oppose the development.
Residents spoke of fears for wildlife habitats as there were many rare species in the area.
Increased traffic was also a worry, with Burtonwood village becoming a “rat run.”
They complained about being kept in the dark about the proposals, as most had only heard about them in the last few weeks.
There was criticism of local councillors who had backed the Local Plan and not attended the meeting.
Ms Pownall said: “The general consensus was that the council was in for a fight to try and get these plans implemented.  The people of Burtonwood and Collins Green choose to live there because it is a semi-rural village and do not intend to end up trapped in the middle of massive housing estate.
“An action group is being formed to fight this plan every step of the way.”
Further information is available at:
https://www.facebook.com/savewarringtongreenbelt/notifications/